Home Automation and Sensor Network

There
were two primary driving factors behind the conception and execution of
this project: firstly, there are so many ways in which residential
homes are inefficient with their use of energy, and the use of fairly
simple electronics, paired with an equally simple user interface, could
reduce this wastage significantly. Secondly,
the group members all had certain interests that they wanted to pursue
in a design project, such as embedded systems design, networking, and
power measurement and control, so by selecting a home automation system
as a target application, all of these technologies could be explored
and learned by the group members.

Design

The
eCasa Home Automation Sensor Network is a system that consists of four
modules, each with their own specific task and hardware:

Server
Module: Handles user interface, and distributes command and control
signals to other modules over the network

Light
Control Module: Switches lights on and off, or dims according to
ambient lighting conditions, based on signals from the Server Module

Thermostat
Module: Opens and closes a heat vent based on the room’s current
temperature and a set point from the Server Module

Power
Monitoring Module: Measures the power usage on two outlets and sends
these values to the Server Module